Richard a



. A. LEIGH.

E APPARATUS POR SEGURING ENDS OP BICYCLE TIRES. No. 605,319.

(No Model.)

5 Patented June 7,1898.

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tries@ RICHARD A. LEIGH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO" TIIE CONSOLIDATED RUBBER` WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR sEcURlNe ENDS oF BICYCLE-TIRES..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,319, dated June *7, 1898.

Application filed October 4, 1897. Serial No. 6531931. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD A. LEIGH, of

' Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Use in Securing the Ends of Bicycle-Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple device for receiving and supporting the ends of a bicycle-tire during the operation of splicing said ends together to form an endless tube.

.In the construction of a hose pipe tire formed of two or more layers of material it has heretofore been the practice to cement together the ends of the inner layer and then inflate the tube thus formed for the purpose of cementin g on the superimposed layers; but by experience I have found that it is difficult to make a neat and regular joint When uniting the ends of a tire in this fashion for the reason that the air permits the inner tube'or layer to yield under pressure and that hence the joint is apt to be irregular and uneven and to present an unsightly appearance.

This invention consists, therefore, of a collapsible device adapted to receive and hold lthe meeting ends of the tirerigidly, whereby the outer layer or layers `may be neatly folded over `each other and connected together in an expeditious and efficient manner, the device being subsequently removed through the valve-aperture in the tire, all as I shall now proceed to describe in detail and then point out inthe claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters Vand figures marked thereon, formingapart of this speer lication,the same letters or figures designating the same partsor features, as the case may be, Wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure l shows in side elevation one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 illustrates the manner of using the same. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section through one end of a tire, said device beinglpartially extended. Fig. i represents a section through the end of a tire when the device is in its operative position. Fig. 6 represents a section on line G G of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 illustrates the rods or links Z) ZJ', arranged in pairs and pivu oted at their ends to the said bars or rods, as at-b2 b3.

each other and always remain in parallelism, aswill be readily understood.

The mannerpof employing'the device thus formed is as follows: The tivo meeting ends A B of a hose-pipe tire having the inner layer 2 of rubber, a central layer 3 of fabric or interwoven threads, and an outer layer a of rubber or other suitable material are brought together, and the device is inserted in eachend while it is in a collapsible condition. Then the parallel bars a a'are separated until the links I) h' are at a right angle thereto and the said tire is flattened at its ends, as shown in Fig. 4. Then the ends of the inner layer 2 2 are brought together and overlapped, `as

Thus it Will be seen that the said 4 bars or rods may be swung toward and f romi` shown in Fig. 2, and are cementedor othern Wise secured together. Next the intermediate or central layer 3 of interwoven thread or fabric are drawn toward each other and overlapped and are otherwise secured `'together andcoated With a suitable cement. Thenl the ehdsof the last layer are brought together until they meet, as shown in Fig. 6,' and are cemented in place. After this has been done and the ends have been firmly united the holder is collapsed until the parallel bars a flie side by side,and then it is lWorked around through the tire and removed through the valve-aperture C, as'shown in Fig?.

`From the foregoing description itwill be seen that the invention is very simple and is highly efficient in operation.

Ilaving thus explained theinature of the IOC invention and described a Way of oonstruet- In testimony whereof I have signed my Io ing and using the same, although Without atname to this speeication, in the presence of tempting to set forth all of the forms iu which tWo subscribing Witnesses, this 14th day of it may be made 0r all of the modes of its use, July, A. D. 1897. 5 I declare that What I claim is- As a means for holding the separated ends RICHARD A LEIGH of a tire in the process of construction, a ool- .l Witnesses: lapsible holder comprising parallel bars and A. D. HARRISON', pvoted links connect-.ing the said bars. P. W. PEZZETTI; 

